Opinion on PFAS: Perpetual chemicals remain forever – and nobody does anything

Contents

PFAS, per- and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds, are chemicals where heaven and hell are close together in an almost religious sense. When they were first used, people were fascinated by the fact that they seemed indestructible. Pans that never burn, clothes that don't let moisture through even in the heaviest rainstorms, industrial machines with almost no friction: genius! The fact that shortly afterwards it was discovered that these substances accumulate in the environment without ever being removed, and that they can also be carcinogenic to humans and animals and endanger fertility, was swept under the carpet. For decades, politicians did not address the issue, while the eternal chemicals continued to spread happily in us and in nature.

Attempt at containment fended off

I have been following this issue for some time and was delighted that five European countries spearheaded a movement to ban PFAS variants for the first time, which can already be replaced by safer substitutes (which of course need to be tested thoroughly!). This is neither revolutionary nor dangerous to industry, but only logical, just as renewable energies are preferable to fossil fuels. Even Goretex, a true poster child for the use of PFAS, has finally replaced the substance.

But the chemical lobby is fighting back. It is heavily involved at EU level, but also in individual countries. They talk about PFAS being "of low concern", but which have not been closely examined, and say that almost nothing escapes from production because it is closed. And what does the Federal Ministry of Economics under Robeck Habeck do? According to a trustworthy media report, it is adopting their arguments, which could now lead to the ban being overturned. As a result, the problem is still not being tackled because the chemical industry is not inclined to finally solve it.

No green firewall against the chemical lobby

The switch to PFAS alternatives is not a luxury project, as expert Martin Scheringer explained to us in detail in an interview last summer. "As long as PFAS are released into the environment, the concentrations in the environment and also in people's bodies will continue to rise because the PFAS are not broken down," said the environmental chemist. It's as simple as that.

An opinion by Ben Schwan

Ben Schwan is a journalist and author based in Berlin. He has been writing about technology, research and science topics for 25 years and does not allow his enthusiasm for new things to be dampened by repetitive hype cycles, security politicians running amok or technical inadequacies.

Unfortunately, it is not surprising that the SPD and CDU are acting in an industry-oriented manner and putting the brakes on, indeed simply pursuing industrial policy. The fact that the green BMWK is apparently allowing itself to be lulled into the same trap here makes me feel moderately depressed. It is a great disappointment, as politically naive as it may sound. Aren't the Greens our firewall against precisely such attempts? Who, if not them, should recognize and contain the dangers of PFAS & Co. Question industry statements, see that the same lobby-financed studies are always being pulled out from behind the stove to justify the inaction to date? It's a joke: even heat pumps still contain these substances, even though there have long been safer alternatives.

It's not about Habeck

Confusingly, in the context of the PFAS scandal, we are now hearing from the progressive spectrum that this is all about the next Habeck and Green bashing. But that's not the point at all. The Forever Pollution Project, which started the ball rolling, is supported by countless media outlets around the world, all of which have an excellent reputation, as do their journalists. The BMWK's incomprehensible actions in the interests of the industry were investigated by NDR, WDR and Süddeutscher Zeitung, which even accuse Habeck in their headline on Tagesschau.de of having fallen for the chemical lobby.

This is not about political bias, but about political failure. Anyone who insinuates bias is trivializing the problem. The fact that Habeck is now being told that it is all down to SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz's authority to issue directives and that the Minister of Economic Affairs was only forced to follow this does not hold water. The ministry and the Greens themselves could have made a massive public - pardon my French -media fuss if they had only wanted to. In order to show that the government clearly wants to continue poisoning us here without rhyme or reason. But the topic of PFAS is apparently so niche or politically uninteresting to the people that they didn't do it. Despite the potentially massive health effects for us, our children and our children's children. Or worse still: they really believed the industry. I would find that shocking.

(vbr)